Birds

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK AND VICINIT Y Including Lajitas, Redford, Presidio, Ruidosa, Candelaria, Shafter, Casa Piedra and Terlingua; also Chinati Mountains State Natural Area A FIELD CHECKLIST 2024 INTRODUCTION N ot to be confused with the similarly named national park to the east, Big Bend Ranch State Park, located in extreme southeastern Presidio County, encompasses 280,000 acres of vast Chihuahuan Desert habitat including grasslands, desert scrub, canyons, riparian woodlands and thickets, streams, rivers, and numerous permanent springs. The bulk of the park includes the Bofecillos Mountains and, an extinct volcano, with outlier alluvial fans that form a mountainous plateau averaging 4,000 feet elevation. As such, the majority of the landscape is dominated by igneous soils and rock; however, a number of areas include outcrops of sedimentary rock (limestone) especially along Cienega Creek in the northwestern portion of the park. 1 2 species mentioned above, plus many more by sitting quietly at a single location with water. In the Rio Grande floodplain (and elsewhere) in winter look for the following species: Pied-billed Grebe, several species of waterfowl, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Wilson’s Snipe, White-throated Swift, American Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler and American Goldfinch. Terrestrial Rio Grande floodplain habitats in winter can often harbor some of the less common (rare to occasional) wintering passerines such as Dusky and Gray Flycatcher; and Cassin’s Vireo; Carolina and Winter Wren; Long-billed Thrasher; Lucy’s Warbler; Blue Grosbeak; and Varied and Painted Bunting. 3 Chat; Lucy’s Warbler; Summer Tanager; Blue Grosbeak; Varied and Painted Bunting; and Orchard, Hooded and Scott’s Oriole. Please help protect natural avian communities by refraining from using playback tapes of bird songs. Frequent use of these tapes alters normal avian activity patterns, disrupts essential territorial behavior, and may lead to nest failure. Also remember that most land in the region is privately owned regardless of whether it is fenced or not. This includes all of the property either side of all major paved roads in the region as well as unpaved county roads such as Casa Piedra Road and Pinto Canyon Road. At the present time, general public access is only permitted Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. DO NOT TRESPASS ON ANY PRIVATE LANDS. If in doubt of ownership, please do not enter. Cover: Illustration of Black-tailed Gnatcatcher by Jeremy Boehm. 4 LEGEND Seasonal Occurrence SP – Spring (March, April, May) S – Summer ( June, July) EF – Early Fall (August, September) LF – Late Fall (October, November) W – Winter (December, January, February) Abundance Designations A – Abundant, always present and observed, expect large numbers in proper habitat and season C – Common, always encountered in proper habitat and season, numbers may vary from low to high U – Uncommon, usually present in proper habitat and season but may be overlooked, never common or abundant O – Occasional, not always present but usually encountered at least once during season indicated, may occur in a narrow time frame within a season or in a very specialized habitat, numbers may vary R – Rare, seldom recorded, not expected each season as designated, may not be recorded each year X – Accidental, may be observed only once in ten years or more, not expected I – Irruptive/Irregular, invasion species which may be absent some seasons/years-abundant others 5 CHECKLIST Species SP S EF LF W ____ Black-bellied Whistling-Duck ____ Ross’s Goose ____ Snow Goose ____ Canada Goose ____ Wood Duck ____ Garganey ____ Blue-winged Teal ____ Cinnamon Teal ____ Northern Shoveler ____ Gadwall ____ American Wigeon ____ Mallard ____ Mexican Duck ____ Northern Pintail ____ Green-winged Teal ____ Canvasback ____ Redhead ____ Ring-necked Duck ____ Lesser Scaup ____ Bufflehead ____ Common Goldeneye ____ Hooded Merganser ____ Common Merganser ____ Red-breasted Merganser ____ Ruddy Duck ____ Scaled Quail ____ Gambel’s Quail ____ Least Grebe ____ Pied-billed Grebe ____ Eared Grebe ____ Rock Pigeon ____ Band-tailed Pigeon ____ Eurasian Collared-Dove X R U R U X C C C C U U A U C O R C U C R U R R C C C U U O A R C 6 X X U C O O R U U U R O C A R R U U O O U U C C C C U U U U R A A C C U U R R R U O U U C C U U A U C O R C U C R O R R C C C U C O A R C R U C U U U A U C O R C O C O U R R U C C U C O A R C Species SP S EF LF W ____ Inca Dove ____ Common Ground Dove ____ White-winged Dove ____ Mourning Dove ____ Groove-billed Ani ____ Greater Roadrunner ____ Yellow-billed Cuckoo ____ Black-billed Cuckoo ____ Lesser Nighthawk ____ Common Nighthawk ____ Common Poorwill ____ Mexican Whip-poor-will ____ White-throated Swift ____ Rivoli’s Hummingbird ____ Blue-throated Mountain-gem ____ Lucifer Hummingbird ____ Ruby-throated Hummingbird ____ Black-chinned Hummingbird ____ Anna’s Hummingbird ____ Calliope Hummingbird ____ Rufous Hummingbird ____ Broad-tailed Hummingbird ____ King Rail ____ Virginia Rail ____ Sora ____ Common Gallinule ____ American Coot ____ Sandhill Crane ____ Black-necked Stilt ____ American Avocet ____ Killdeer ____ Upland Sandpiper ____ Long-billed Curlew ____ Stilt Sandpiper ____ Baird’s Sandpiper ____ Least Sandpiper C U C O O U A A A A A A X X C C C U U U X A A A U U U A A A X X U R U R R R R U R U X O A A A O R R C U U X U X R C R U U U U C U C U C U C C R C C C C U O U U R U O O U O U C O C 7 C U U O A A A A C C U R U U U U O R U U U R U R U X U U U C U U C C U O O R C O C C U R O C C Species SP S EF LF W ____ White-rumped Sandpiper ____ Semipalmated Sandpiper ____ Western Sandpiper ____ Long-billed Dowitcher ____ Wilson’s Snipe ____ Spotted Sandpiper ____ Solitary Sandpiper ____ Lesser Yellowlegs ____ Greater Yellowlegs ____ Wilson’s Phalarope ____ Red-necked Phalarope ____ Bonaparte’s Gull ____ Franklin’s Gull ____ Ring-billed Gull ____ Herring Gull ____ Double-crested Cormorant ____ Neotropic Cormorant ____ American White Pelican ____ Brown Pelican ____ American Bittern ____ Least Bittern ____ Great Blue Heron ____ Great Egret ____ Snowy Egret ____ Little Blue Heron ____ Tricolored Heron ____ Western Cattle Egret ____ Green Heron ____ Black-crowned Night-Heron ____ White-faced Ibis ____ Black Vulture ____ Turkey Vulture ____ Osprey ____ White-tailed Kite ____ Golden Eagle ____ Northern Harrier O R U C C C U O C C R O O U R U U O U O U R U R C O C R X R O 8 O O C C R O R U C U X U U U U U O R R U U U R O U U U U C U R O O U I U U X U R U R R C C U U R U U U U R R U U U U U A U R O C U U C C U R C U R R U O O U O C U R U A X R R U U U U R R U U U U U A U R O O C C U U U C C Species SP S EF LF W ____ Sharp-shinned Hawk ____ Cooper’s Hawk ____ Bald Eagle ____ Mississippi Kite ____ Common Black Hawk ____ Harris’s Hawk ____ Red-shouldered Hawk ____ Broad-winged Hawk ____ Swainson’s Hawk ____ Zone-tailed Hawk ____ Red-tailed Hawk ____ Rough-legged Hawk ____ Ferruginous Hawk ____ Barn Owl ____ Flammulated Owl ____ Western Screech-Owl ____ Great Horned Owl ____ Elf Owl ____ Burrowing Owl ____ Long-eared Owl ____ Belted Kingfisher ____ Green Kingfisher ____ Lewis’s Woodpecker ____ Golden-fronted Woodpecker ____ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ____ Red-naped Sapsucker ____ Red-breasted Sapsucker ____ Ladder-backed Woodpecker ____ Northern Flicker ____ American Kestrel ____ Merlin ____ Aplomado Falcon ____ Peregrine Falcon ____ Prairie Falcon ____ Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet ____ Ash-throated Flycatcher C C R O R U X U C U C R R O R C C C U 9 U R U R O R R U U U U C U U C C O O R C C C C C C U U U R U U U U I C C C O U U O C C C O X U U C C R U C C C R R U R O X C U C U C C R R O U U I R R C C R R U U O O C C R U X U U I C U U C C U U U I C U U X C C C C C C U U X X U U U U U U Species SP S EF LF W ____ Cassin’s Kingbird ____ Western Kingbird ____ Eastern Kingbird ____ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher ____ Olive-sided Flycatcher ____ Western Wood-Pewee ____ Eastern Wood-Pewee ____ Willow Flycatcher ____ Least Flycatcher ____ Hammond’s Flycatcher ____ Gray Flycatcher ____ Dusky Flycatcher ____ Western Flycatcher ____ Black Phoebe ____ Eastern Phoebe ____ Say’s Phoebe ____ Vermilion Flycatcher ____ Black-capped Vireo ____ White-eyed Vireo ____ Bell’s Vireo ____ Gray Vireo ____ Yellow-throated Vireo ____ Cassin’s Vireo ____ Blue-headed Vireo ____ Plumbeous Vireo ____ Philadelphia Vireo ____ Warbling Vireo ____ Red-eyed Vireo ____ Loggerhead Shrike ____ Steller’s Jay ____ Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay ____ Chihuahuan Raven ____ Common Raven ____ Verdin ____ Black-crested Titmouse ____ Horned Lark C C C C U C O R O O C C C O C X O U O O R O C U C C U U C C C O O C C C C C C X X C C C U U U R R U U X U U R U U O O C C C O U C C U U 10 O U C C U O O U C C U U U O I R R R O U U O C U C C R R U O C U C C O U U U R O R R C X O O C C U U C X O O C C U U Species SP S EF LF W ____ Bank Swallow ____ Tree Swallow ____ Violet-green Swallow ____ No. Rough-winged Swallow ____ Barn Swallow ____ Cliff Swallow ____ Cave Swallow ____ Bushtit ____ Ruby-crowned Kinglet ____ Golden-crowned Kinglet ____ Cedar Waxwing ____ Phainopepla ____ Red-breasted Nuthatch ____ White-breasted Nuthatch ____ Brown Creeper ____ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ____ Black-tailed Gnatcatcher ____ Rock Wren ____ Canyon Wren ____ Cactus Wren ____ Bewick’s Wren ____ Carolina Wren ____ House Wren ____ Winter Wren ____ Sedge Wren ____ Marsh Wren ____ Gray Catbird ____ Curve-billed Thrasher ____ Brown Thrasher ____ Long-billed Thrasher ____ Crissal Thrasher ____ Sage Thrasher ____ Northern Mockingbird ____ European Starling ____ Eastern Bluebird ____ Western Bluebird U C U A A A C U A O I U I R R A A C C C U R U R R C R C R X C I A U I I 11 O U U O U O C A A A A U C U U U I U U I R R X O A A A U C C C C C U U R R U O U O C C C X C A A U U O U C C U U U A O I U I R R C A C C C U R U R R C R C R X C I A U I I R R C R U U A R I U I R R C A C C C U R U I I C R C R X C I A U I I Species SP S EF LF W ____ Mountain Bluebird ____ Townsend’s Solitaire ____ Gray-cheeked Thrush ____ Swainson’s Thrush ____ Hermit Thrush ____ American Robin ____ Olive Warbler ____ House Sparrow ____ American Pipit ____ Sprague’s Pipit ____ Evening Grosbeak ____ House Finch ____ Cassin’s Finch ____ Pine Siskin ____ Lesser Goldfinch ____ Lawrence’s Goldfinch ____ American Goldfinch ____ Chestnut-collared Longspur ____ Thick-billed Longspur ____ Botteri’s Sparrow ____ Cassin’s Sparrow ____ Grasshopper Sparrow ____ Black-throated Sparrow ____ Lark Sparrow ____ Lark Bunting ____ Chipping Sparrow ____ Clay-colored Sparrow ____ Black-chinned Sparrow ____ Field Sparrow ____ Brewer’s Sparrow ____ Fox Sparrow ____ Dark-eyed Junco ____ White-crowned Sparrow ____ Golden-crowned Sparrow ____ Harris’s Sparrow ____ White-throated Sparrow I I X U C I A C R I A I I C O U A X A O R A A X C I C U U X X I A A U I O A A A A A A I R I A U A C C R R R R A C R U O A C X R 12 I I I I C I C I A A A A R U I I A A I I I I C C X X U I C C O O C U A C I A O U R A R I A X X R U U A I I I I U R A R I A X X R Species SP S EF LF W ____ Sagebrush Sparrow ____ Vesper Sparrow ____ Baird’s Sparrow ____ Savannah Sparrow ____ Song Sparrow ____ Lincoln’s Sparrow ____ Swamp Sparrow ____ Canyon Towhee ____ Rufous-crowned Sparrow ____ Green-tailed Towhee ____ Spotted Towhee ____ Eastern Towhee ____ Yellow-breasted Chat ____ Yellow-headed Blackbird ____ Chihuahuan Meadowlark ____ Western Meadowlark ____ Orchard Oriole ____ Hooded Oriole ____ Bullock’s Oriole ____ Scott’s Oriole ____ Red-winged Blackbird ____ Bronzed Cowbird ____ Brown-headed Cowbird ____ Brewer’s Blackbird ____ Common Grackle ____ Great-tailed Grackle ____ Ovenbird ____ Worm-eating Warbler ____ Louisiana Waterthrush ____ Northern Waterthrush ____ Black-and-white Warbler ____ Prothonotary Warbler ____ Tennessee Warbler ____ Orange-crowned Warbler ____ Lucy’s Warbler ____ Nashville Warbler U A O C U C U C C C C X C C U C C O C C U U A C R A X X R U U X R C U C 13 U U X U C C C C U C C C C U C C O C C U U C U U U O U C U U A A A X R U U R U U U U U I A A O R C C U U C I U U C C C C C C C C O U R U U C C R U R O R C C C U A A R R A A R O O C A O R C Species SP S EF LF W ____ Virginia’s Warbler ____ MacGillivray’s Warbler ____ Mourning Warbler ____ Common Yellowthroat ____ Hooded Warbler ____ American Redstart ____ Northern Parula ____ Magnolia Warbler ____ Blackburnian Warbler ____ Yellow Warbler ____ Chestnut-sided Warbler ____ Palm Warbler ____ Yellow-rumped Warbler ____ Yellow-throated Warbler ____ Grace’s Warbler ____ Black-throated Gray Warbler ____ Townsend’s Warbler ____ Hermit Warbler ____ Black-throated Green Warbler ____ Wilson’s Warbler ____ Painted Redstart ____ Hepatic Tanager ____ Summer Tanager ____ Western Tanager ____ Northern Cardinal ____ Pyrrhuloxia ____ Rose-breasted Grosbeak ____ Black-headed Grosbeak ____ Blue Grosbeak ____ Lazuli Bunting ____ Indigo Bunting ____ Varied Bunting ____ Painted Bunting ____ Dickcissel C C U U X X C U C X O X O O O X X A A X X A C O X O X X U U U C X R O O A O A X R R C C C C C C C C A A A O O C C C A A A U U O R O C C C C C C O C 14 O O C C O O R X O R A C O R U R U X O O C A C A U U R U O R O R CITATION Edits for the March 2024 list were made by Texas State Park Staff to the February 2011 list created by Bryan, Kelly B. Birds of Big Bend Ranch State Park and vicinity: a field checklist. Texas State Parks Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Major contributions by Mark Adams, Keith Arnold, Bill Bourbon, Steve Cardiff, Donna Dittman, Carol Edwards, Tom Forwood, John Gee, David and Linda Hedges, Jim Hines, Greg Lasley, Mark Lockwood, Bonnie McKinney and Jody Miller. 15 In 1983, the Texas Legislature created the Special Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Fund. This fund may be used for nongame wildlife and endangered species research and conservation, habitat acquisition and development and dissemination of information pertaining to nongame management. Money for this fund is obtained through private donations and sale of nongame wildlife art prints and stamps. This fund now gives Texans a unique opportunity to help support this state’s valuable and sensitive nongame resources. Your individual contributions and purchases of nongame art prints and stamps will help determine the level of nongame conservation activities in Texas. For more information call toll-free (1-800-7921112) or contact: Nongame and Endangered Species Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744. TPWD receives funds from DHS and USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin (including limited English proficiency), disability, age, and gender, pursuant to state and federal law. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, visit tpwd.texas.gov/nondiscrimination or call (512) 389-4800 for information on filing a complaint. To obtain information in an alternative format, contact TPWD through Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989, or by email at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you speak a language other than English and need assistance, email lep@tpwd.texas.gov. You can also contact Department of the Interior Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240, and/ or U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), Mail Stop #0190 2707, Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20528. 16 Natural Resource Program Texas Parks and Wildlife 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 © 2024 Texas Parks and Wildlife PWD BK P4501-152H (4/24)